Unimagined Relationships
by Weirder Than You
Summary: My newest fic. Zuko and Iroh join the gang and offer to teach Aang firebending. Zuko knows he loves Katara, and she feels the same. Where will this lead? Currently on hiatus, sorry, updates will start again in the summer! First chapter shortest of all!
1. Part of the Crew

**Disclaimer: (mumbled) I… don't… own… Avatar… The Last Airbender…**

**A/N: Okay, this story pairing just refused to come to me, so if it seems a little random, believe me, it is. I don't really know what's really going to happen, so I'm just typing it as I go. Read my other fics, I have a couple that all Kataang haters would love, and one that they would like. I even have one for those amazing Jetara fans out there, and this one WILL be Zutara, as long as inspiration comes. And so everyone knows, the subject is liable to change, so if you want to look up the story, look me up instead.**

Zuko was standing next to his uncle, trying to calm himself. So far, he had offered to teach the Avatar (Aang, he reminded himself) firebending with the help of his uncle, and he had been treated like garbage. First, that idiot water tribe boy had assaulted him until he was tackled by the waterbender and Aang. He had resisted burning his face off, and now he was having an extremely hard time controlling himself. The idiot was lecturing him on how to stay out of sight and what not to do while traveling with them. Finally, Zuko snapped.

"Listen," Zuko interrupted. "I don't know who you think you are, to be lecturing me on how to stay out of sight, when I've been tracking you successfully for this long, and what not to do, because I think I know how to behave myself," he said with a sneer. "I actually offered to teach him," he said, pointing at Aang, "and you have he audacity to lecture me?! I could walk away right now and leave you to find another teacher, but this is too important for that. So, I suggest you never talk to me like that again."

"I believe what my nephew is trying to say is that he would like to be treated with the same respect you treat each other. Now, I will be assisting in Aang's training, and I am telling you now, as firebenders, we rise with the sun, so be ready to start your training early tomorrow morning. I am an old man and need my rest, so I will be retiring for the night. I will leave you five to finish the rest of the arrangements, and I trust I will not need to be woken up for anything," Iroh finished his speech by bowing to an open-mouthed Sokka, a stunned Katara, an indifferent Toph, and a surprised Aang, before walking away and getting into his own personal tent that he had set up while Sokka was rambling.

"Sunrise?! You want me to get up at SUNRISE?!?!" Aang asked loudly.

"Yes. And you will only be aloud to sleep in twice before you are in serious trouble. Now, I am hoping that you will all let me be, and not bother me. Good night," Zuko said, before turning around and beginning to set up his tent. Then Katara spoke up.

"Prince Zuko, I would like to say thank you on behalf of all of us. You didn't have to deal with Sokka before, and I'm surprised you held out as long as you did. I'm just saying this now, you have my permission to hit Sokka if he really gets on your nerves," Katara said, before Sokka interrupted with an angry "Hey!" Then she continued, "You can even ask Toph for some of his weakest spots, if you want. And so you know, we do not stay in one place very long, and we all pitch in and help when it comes to setting up and breaking camp. If there is anything I can do to help you get settled, just tell me."

As Katara was saying this, Zuko straightened up and looked her in the eye. Her eyes were captivating to him, and he started to wonder when he had first fallen in love with them. He figured it was when he had first seen them, in the South Pole, filled with sorrow and grief.

"Thank you for your permission and hospitality," he said, bowing to her. "And you may call me Zuko. Also, believe me when I say that you move around a lot. I've been following you for months, remember?" He turned away again with a smirk on his face and finished setting up his tent, before crawling inside.

"Well, it looks like I'd better get some sleep too. I don't want to be late tomorrow," Aang said, before he slipped into his sleeping bag. Soon Katara, Sokka, and Toph went to bed too.


	2. At the River

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. AAHHHHH!!!! I'M MELTING!!!!!**

**A/N: Okay, again, this story is completely random. Remember, reviews make a happy authoress, and a happy authoress posts chapter quicker. So get to it and review people!**

I was the first morning of Aang's training, and he overslept. He cursed himself as he ran where Katara told him she had seen Zuko headed that morning. He ran up a mountain path and found Zuko meditating next to his uncle in a clearing in the trees.

"You're late," Zuko said irritably, never opening his eyes.

"I know," Aang gasped, holding a stitch in his side. "I apologize."

"It is okay, Aang. Sit down, and meditate with us. We will only continue a little longer. This will help you to harness your firebending energy," Iroh told him. Aang sat down and assumed his meditation position. After a few minutes, he heard Zuko and Iroh get up, and got up as well.

"Now what?" Aang asked.

"Now, we'll teach you how to summon the fire, then how to use it," Zuko said. Aang realized that he was going to have a very busy training schedule between waterbending, earthbending, airbending, and now firebending.

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After a long day of training Aang, Zuko decided to take a bath in the river by where they were staying. As he approached, wearing only a pair of thin pants and a towel around his shoulders, he heard a rustling of water that could not be from the river itself. He looked through a hole in the trees and his breath hitched in his chest. Katara was standing in the river doing some very complex waterbending movements, wearing only her undergarments/bathing suit.

As Zuko watched her, he thought of the feelings he had had for Katara for a long time. He thought they had begun the first time he had seen her, looking down into those fiery blue eyes from the prow of his ship as she tried to defend her village. He found himself inadvertently stepping forward, and a stick snapped under his boot.

At this, Katara whipped around, already in a fighting stance. "Who's there? Show yourself!" she shouted into the trees. Zuko continued walking around the bend in the path until he was in plain sight of Katara.

"It's just me, don't worry," he stated calmly.

"Go away, Zuko," Katara snapped. She had been practicing some very hard waterbending moves and needed her complete concentration, which she knew she could not have if Zuko was going to stay there.

"No," Zuko stated simply. "I think I'll stay right here." With that he sat down against a tree and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "What will you do now?"

Katara looked at him in shock, before huffing and turning back around. She started bending again, but she tried to keep her back to him at all costs. Soon, she was too wrapped up in her bending and turned towards Zuko, not remembering he was there and not realizing it either.

Zuko sat there and watched Katara, watched her body as it spun and twisted with the water. He was beginning to fall asleep when something wet hit him in the face. As he looked up, he saw Katara standing in front of him smirking, her hands on her hips. "I told you to leave."

Zuko stood slowly, looked at her, and said, "That was pretty weak."

At first Katara thought she had heard him wrong, before realizing what he had said. "What do you mean, 'That was weak'?"

"I mean, you could hit harder. I can show you how. Come here," Zuko said, walking up behind Katara. "Now, do the same thing again, only this time aim for that tree limb up there." The tree limb he was pointing to was hanging over the river, and was about as thick as a man's arm.

Katara did as she was told, always aware of where Zuko was, and she made a small cut in the limb. "Now, instead of just showing the water where to go, you have to reinforce it," Zuko said. He took her hand in his from behind, causing Katara to stiffen up immediately, before he folded her hand into a fist and said, "Now use a fist instead of just an open hand to guide the water. Aim for the branch again."

Katara did so, this time punching with the water. She stared in shock as the tree limb broke off and flew twenty feet before falling in the water. She could feel Zuko smirking behind her. Then she got an idea.

"Zuko… what if we… I mean, we could probably help each other like this a lot, so… how about every day, between when you and I train Aang, when he's with Toph, we get together and teach each other? Like, I'll show you something tomorrow, and you show me something the next day," Katara asked, turning around so that she was face-to-face with Zuko. He was at least a head taller than her, and looking up was different than looking down on Aang like she usually had to do.

"Sure," Zuko replied, smiling, "I'd like that."

Katara blushed for a moment before turning around and picking up her clothes. "I'll see you back at camp," she called to him, walking away.

Zuko just stood there, smiling, and anticipating where these daily meetings could go.

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Back at camp that night, as Katara lay down in her sleeping bag, she thought about that weird feeling she had gotten when Zuko had held her hand earlier, and when they had been face-to-face after that. She realized that, no matter how she tried to tell herself otherwise, she had feelings for Zuko. She also remembered how he had looked at her and watched her, and thought that maybe, _maybe_ something good could come out of these training sessions they would be having.


	3. Aang's Emotions

**Disclaimer: I… don't… own… Avatar:theLastAirbender.**

**A/N: Hey all my dedicated readers. Okay, maybe you people aren't dedicated, considering I've gotten 211 hits and 8 reviews, but we can fix that. Right? RIGHT??? Okay, whatever. All I want is some reviews, people, can you do that for me? Thanks. Okay, in the beginning of the chapter, Zuko might seem a little out of character, but whatever. So, I hope everyone's enjoying the story, and my other stories, my favorite of which is Forgive and Forget. Oh, and I'm doing my own version of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows epilogue, so any Harry Potter fans that were not satisfied with the epilogue provided, I'm going to add on my own thoughts coupled with J.K. Rowling's to make my own epilogue. So yeah, I think this is the longest author's note I've ever written, so I'm going to stop.**

Katara walked around the area surrounding the new campsite. They had been traveling daily, seeing as Azula was back and hot on their trail. Zuko had proved useful in this aspect, though. He knew his sister, and knew what she was likely to do. So now, Katara was walking in the forest, looking for the hot springs she had seen from the sky on the way there.

At the same time, Katara was also thinking about Zuko. They had grown much closer over the last two weeks, and now instead of just tolerating each other's presence, they were able to get along, while also flirting with each other and always trying to get each other's attention. That was why Sokka was now not speaking to either of them; Zuko liked getting on Sokka's nerves to begin with, and the flirting was just another tool for him; Katara was just trying to get closer to Zuko, even though she knew by doing this she was killing Sokka.

Katara had just rounded the bend to the hot springs, when Zuko jumped up behind her and grabbed her. She shrieked, but it soon turned into laughter as Zuko spun her around. When he put her down, her face was still alive with laughter, and they stood there and stared at each other. Zuko was smiling as well (this was a big thing for him, and it had been happening more and more over the last two weeks).

After couple minutes of standing there holding each other and looking into each other's eyes, Zuko spoke. "You have the most amazing eyes, Katara," he said. This caused her to bow her head and flush. When she picked her head up again, she said, "Thank you. I like your eyes too. They always…"

"They always what?" Zuko asked curiously.

"They always make me feel warm, like there's an inferno blazing in them," Katara said, before bowing her head and blushing deeply again. Zuko smiled gently, and took her chin in his hand and raised her face to look at him. "Thank _you_. Your eyes always remind me of the ocean. They always seem like there are waves tumbling in them, and when you're angry, it seems like a storm on the sea, all right in your eyes," Zuko told her.

All Katara could do was look at him, look into those eyes like fire. Zuko was also looking at her, and before he knew what he was doing, he had leaned down, and she had leaned forward and up, and their lips met in a light kiss.

After they pulled away, Katara said quietly, "We should probably get back, before Sokka jumps to conclusions."

"Sure," Zuko said, leaning down to kiss her once more before letting her go, save for her hand. The two of them then walked back to the camp, letting go of each other just before entering the clearing.

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Aang was getting much farther in his training with Zuko and Iroh. So far, he had only been late one more time, and he was now able to control the fire, use it for offense and defense, and he was now going to learn to make it into different shapes (like a fire whip). He walked through the forest to where Iroh was waiting for him in a small clearing.

Before he could ask when they would be starting, Iroh said, "We are just waiting for Zuko; when he gets here, we may begin." As he finished saying this, Zuko walked into the clearing.

Aang and Iroh both noticed that he was especially happy, for some odd reason. He was never happy when he came to teach Aang…. But that was cast aside as Zuko suddenly attacked Aang.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Aang shouted at him, jumping aside to avoid the blast.

"We're sparring today. Now, start defending yourself. Maybe even try an attack," Zuko told him before shooting another fire blast at him.

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By the end of the training session, Katara, Sokka, and Toph had come to watch, and Aang had been knocked down too many times to count. Now, Zuko was standing over him again with a flame to his throat. He stepped back and held out a hand to Aang, which he took gratefully.

"We're done for today. Be ready; we'll be doing this every other day from now until you can beat me. Who knows, if you ever do beat me, maybe we'll let you move onto Uncle," Zuko told him, beginning to walk away. He made a curt nod to Sokka as he passed, then gave Katara a look that he hoped said: Meet me at the springs.

Luckily, Katara did understand, and said to Sokka, Toph, and Aang, "I'm going to the springs to practice. I'll see you guys at dinner." She then walked back to the camp, grabbed a towel, and continued on to the springs.

When Katara reached the springs, she immediately shed her outer clothing and sank into the water to relax for a moment. She knew Zuko would be giving Iroh a cover story before escaping. After sitting for a minute, she stood up and began to bend the water around her, practicing some of the stances Zuko had taught her while still merging them with her waterbending stances to make them more smooth.

She did not realize it when Zuko came up to the bank and began to watch her. He found it soothing to watch Katara surrounded in her element, which he guessed was why he was feeling so happy lately. He stood there for a minute before getting an idea.

As Katara was doing an especially noisy set of movements, he slipped into the springs, wearing only a wrap around his… well, you know. So, as she moved around the springs, he came up from behind her soundlessly and grabbed her legs from under the water. She shrieked as she was hoisted up into Zuko's strong arms, but relaxed as soon as she realized it was him.

"Spirits, Zuko, you must be trying to give me a heart attack, scaring me so much," Katara said, punching him on the arm playfully. She was smiling as she said this, reassuring Zuko that she was not angry with him.

He smiled back as he replied, "How did you figure that out so quickly? You must be catching on to my 'evil schemes' again!" using Sokka's constant phrase that he was up to something. They both laughed for a moment before it subsided and they stood there in each other's arms.

_How did I end up so lucky, to have Katara actually like me, and maybe even more! I started out as just a banished prince/firebending teacher for the Avatar, and now I'm Katara and Aang's friend, Toph's acquaintance, I guess, and Sokka's worst nightmare! I'm so glad I came with Uncle… _Zuko thought as he looked down at Katara. He stared into her eyes and felt himself getting lost in them, but didn't look away.

_How did this even happen? First, Zuko's our enemy, chasing us all over the world, and now suddenly he likes me, just like I like him. Not that I mind though, it just happened so fast! I wonder how far this will go; will we stay at this point of friendship/love or go all the way? I'm not sure I'm ready for a major commitment for now, but it could be nice later in life… _were Katara's thoughts as she looked at Zuko's eyes. They were like fiery pools of amber, and she always thought she could feel heat emanating from them whenever she looked into them like this.

Finally Zuko was able to tear himself away from Katara's eyes, and he put her down in the water carefully. She still hung onto him, her arms wrapped around his neck, as his were still on her waist. He leaned down and put his forehead against hers, whispering, "You know I love you, right?"

Katara looked up into Zuko's eyes and said, "I do." Then, she stood up on her toes and kissed him. He leaned down into the kiss, deepening it by tilting his head slightly. As he did so, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking her permission to enter.

Neither of them realized what was happening when all of a sudden, the water around them was bubbling and bursting, as if a volcano had suddenly erupted beneath their feet. Katara and Zuko broke apart, still holding each other and trying not to fall down as they stumbled out of the spring. They then looked around for the source of the commotion, as they were sure that an underwater volcano had not erupted beneath their feet.

A few feet away from the springs was Aang, his face contorted with a mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion. His chest was heaving, and he had tears in his eyes.

Katara broke away from Zuko with a warning glance and walked over to Aang. She reached out to touch Aang's arm and said, "Aang? Are you okay?" As she said this, Aang flinched away from her and turned around to walk back into the forest with his head bowed.

Katara's eyes began to water as she watched her heartbroken friend slump and stumble into the forest, not paying any mind to where he was going. She turned around to see Zuko right behind her, and she immediately fell into his arms and cried. He just held her, knowing that he should feel jealous that she cared that much about Aang, but only feeling sorry, for both Aang and Katara.

Zuko and Katara stayed there until dusk began to fall, when she lifted her head, sniffing and wiping her eyes roughly with the back of her hand and gathering herself together. Zuko took her face in his hands and turned it upward, where she refused to meet his eyes.

"Katara," he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs. This caused her to look up at him, and he saw that her eyes were still swimming with tears. "Don't worry. Aang will be fine. He just needs some time to get used to the idea of us. If he doesn't come back by tomorrow morning, you can go and look for him, but he needs some time alone. Now come on; we need to get back to camp for dinner. Plus, I think now we'd better tell Sokka, Toph, and my uncle about us. They'll need to know why Aang isn't there, if he isn't, and it's time they knew. We can figure it out on the way back. I'm here for you," he said softly. This last statement caused the tears in her eyes to spill over, and she buried herself in his arms again.

Zuko smiled slightly and pulled her back, leaning down to kiss her softly before taking her hand in his and walking away. Katara followed along next to him, deep in her own thoughts, but still paying attention whenever Zuko made a suggestion about what to tell their 'family'.


	4. Sitting in a Tree

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender, but I do own my cats and my fishy!**

**A/N: Okay people, thank you for finally deciding to review. Although its only 11 reviews, it's better than before. So, this chapter will have some awesome angry-Sokka action, and someone asked if there will be any Taang, and I'm thinking about it. Possibly, but I'm not sure how far I'm gonna go with that. Who knows, I might ditch Taang altogether and just put in Tokka. So, keep reviewing, they make for a happy authoress and that makes for quick reviews. Also, don't be afraid to be critical. I take every suggestion into consideration, and constructive criticism helps make my stories better. So thanks again, everyone, and now on with the Zutara! Charge!!! (Points ahead and begins running toward story, only to hit computer which was feet away anyway.) Or not charge.**

Zuko and Katara stopped a few feet outside the clearing, and he turned to her.

"You okay?" Zuko asked cautiously. He did not want to set Katara off again right before they confronted everyone. She must have realized this, for she nodded her head solidly and squeezed his hand tightly, trying to smile but coming out with more of a grimace. Neither of them wanted to do this, but they knew that they had to.

As Katara and Zuko stepped into the clearing, they noticed that everyone was sitting with their backs to them (everyone being Sokka, Toph, and Iroh), eating in front of the fire. They came around everyone, still holding hands, and sat down, Katara saying, "Umm… guys? We have something to tell you." As everyone looked up, Sokka was the first to notice Zuko and Katara holding hands, and he immediately pointed this out.

"Why are you touching her?" he asked Zuko bluntly. Both Katara and Zuko were ready for this, however, and Zuko answered, "That's what we wan to talk to you about. Katara and I… well, we… we love each other, and we just thought you should know." He said the last part quickly, almost hoping that Sokka would not understand, but his hopes were dashed as Sokka spit the water he was drinking all over them and screamed, "WHAT?!?"

"Sokka, please listen," Katara tried hopelessly, before being interrupted by Sokka jumping up with murder written across his face.

"What did you just say?" he yelled at Zuko. Zuko also stood up, which made him a lot more intimidating, considering he was about 4-6 inches taller than Sokka. Katara stood up as well, stepping between Sokka and Zuko in an effort to keep Sokka from hurting Zuko. She and Zuko had agreed that he would keep his temper as long as possible, and would not attack Sokka at any cost.

"He said that we love each other, and it's true. Zuko and I are together now, and we just thought it would be appropriate that we tell you," Katara explained slowly to Sokka. He looked down at her, as if suddenly realizing she was there, and started opening and closing his mouth, no sound coming out, his eyes wide in shock. Finally he was able to emit a strangled sound that was somewhere between a noise of disbelief and one of anger.

While all this was happening, Toph and Iroh just sat side-by-side on a log, watching and listening to the goings-on. Toph leaned over to Iroh as she felt Sokka and Zuko stand up and whispered, "This could be good." Iroh just chuckled softly in response.

As Sokka stood there gaping, Zuko turned to his uncle and asked, "Uncle, what do you have to say?"

"I am very happy for you and Katara, but I am wondering one thing: what will happen to Aang once he finds out?" Iroh said. Zuko and Katara had been prepared for this question as well.

"Actually, Aang already knows. He saw Zuko and I together and got rather… upset, so we thought we had better tell you all before he came back and told you for us," Katara explained, still holding Sokka back from Zuko.

Sokka suddenly found his voice, and stuttered out, "But… what about… how can you?… and him!… but… gah!" He then stomped off to the other side of the campsite to think, and came back in a few moments, looking like he had something to say.

"Okay, listen up. I don't want any mushy stuff between you two, definitely not around me," he started, before Katara said in disbelief, "What? Why not? In case you don't remember, you and Suki did enough of that in front of us to compensate for the rest of your lives!"

Sokka stuttered for a minute before saying matter-of-factly, "That was different. We were older than you, and way more responsible."

"Actually, Sokka, I'm a year older than you, and Katara's only two years younger. Plus, you shouldn't be talking about being responsible. We're both more responsible than you," Zuko said calmly.

At this, everyone could literally see steam coming from Sokka's ears, and his face was beet red. It actually looked quite comical, and Toph broke out laughing.

"Oh, come on, Snoozles. Let them have some fun. Stop being so 'big brother'." Toph choked out through her laughter. When he started to argue again, Iroh stepped in.

"I think that they should be allowed to decide by themselves what is appropriate, and that we, meaning you as well, Sokka, should leave them be. Now, I believe that the bigger issue is what to do about Aang," Iroh said, diverting their attentions from Katara and Zuko.

Sokka seemed to deflate before their eyes, and he sank down on a log in defeat. He looked up and said to Zuko, "If you hurt her, I WILL kill you. And I'm not just saying that."

Zuko nodded sincerely, before sitting down across the fire from Sokka, pulling Katara down with him. She put her head on his shoulder and gave a sigh of relief before saying, "I was going to go and try to find Aang if he isn't back by tomorrow morning, but now I'm thinking that it's not such a good idea. He won't want to talk to me, because I just broke his heart. Someone else has to." With this, she looked over at Toph, causing everyone else to see her point. Toph, however, had no idea why everyone had stopped talking.

"Why did everything get quiet? What are you all thinking?" she asked suspiciously.

"Toph, you and Aang are the same age. You seem to understand each other more than the rest of us. And I'm pretty sure a certain earthbender has a crush on the Avatar anyway, so you could really help him out," Katara explained. Toph blushed deep red, and mumbled something about going to find him if he wasn't back by morning, which was amazing for the usually sarcastic girl. She then proceeded to go to bed early, saying that she would need rest for tomorrow.

Iroh got up next, making the excuse that he was also tired, and he almost dragged Sokka away from the fire in an effort to give Zuko and Katara a little time alone. As soon as they were sure they were alone, Katara and Zuko got up and walked into the forest, skirting the campsite and trying to stay out of earshot of Sokka, knowing that he would not rest until they came back.

"So… What do you think would be 'appropriate'?" Zuko asked Katara quietly, trying not to be heard by Sokka.

"Well… my getting pregnant definitely wouldn't be, not right now anyway. Plus, in the Water Tribes, a woman is not supposed to do that kind of thing with a man until they are married. With the war all around us and the comet getting closer every day, getting married will probably have to wait, too. What about you?" Katara asked.

"I think that even though the customs are different between the Tribes and the Fire Nation, you are right. There is just too much going on now, but after the war is over…" Zuko left the end dangling, so Katara could fill it in herself. She obviously did, because she blushed and looked away before Zuko turned her back towards him. He looked down at her until she finally met his eyes, and he saw pure happiness in them when he said, "Katara, I will never leave you. You know that, right?"

She responded by hugging him tightly before he lifted her head in his hands and kissed her slowly. As they broke apart, Katara gave Zuko a smile that he felt would melt his heart. He smiled back before leaning down to kiss her again. This time the kiss was more passionate, the couple ravaging each other's mouths before pulling away, gasping for air. Then Katara realized that sooner or later Sokka was going to come looking for them, and they did not want to be in this position when he did.

"Come on; we want to get back before Sokka gets ideas," she said, taking Zuko's hand. They walked back to the campsite, where he kissed her once more before they separated into their sleeping bags, which Sokka had remembered to pull to different sides of the clearing.

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The next morning, the group got up early to beat Azula and her cronies. If they didn't hurry, she would be on them again, and it was not something they needed. As the rest of the group packed their belongings onto Appa, Toph was out comforting Aang. She had gotten up the moment the sun broke the horizon, and had found Aang sitting in a tree relatively quickly.

"Come down from there, Twinkle Toes. We're leaving, and if you don't hurry, we're going to have to leave you here," she shouted up to Aang. He ignored her at first, before her persistence paid off and he jumped down from the tree and started slumping towards the camp.

"Look Twinkle Toes," Toph started unsteadily, trying to catch up with Aang, "I'm not really very good at this comforting thing, but I'm going to give it a shot, so try to help me out. I know how it feels to have someone that you like ignore you. And… I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to. Or to cry to. Either way."

Aang stopped walking and turned to Toph, causing her to overshoot and have to double back. "What do you mean, you know how it feels? No one could know how I feel right now!" he yelled, tears welling up in his eyes. Before he could shoot off, however, Toph caught his hand and held him back. His body was shaking as he tried to hold back the tears unsuccessfully.

"Aang, I know how it feels because… well… I like you, and you always liked Katara, so I always had to sit there and watch you stare at her all the time, and be ignored the whole time," she said softly. Toph had a blush on her cheeks, and now Aang wasn't the only one with tears in their eyes. He froze as he heard this, and turned to Toph.

"What did you say?" Aang asked quietly.

"I said, I like you," Toph said, even more quietly. She dropped his hand and started to walk away. Each step she took raised a small tremble from the earth beneath their feet. As Aang ran after her and caught her arm, spinning her around, he saw that her face was streaked with tears, and that her usually solid façade had been broken.

"Let me go," Toph said, dangerously quiet.

"No," was Aang's only response as he pulled her all the way around, so that he could see her whole face. He was sure that this would cause Toph to shoot him backwards, but instead, she just stood there, rigid as a board.

"Toph, I'm sorry. I guess I was just so obsessed with Katara I never realized… I'm sorry," Aang said again, letting Toph go and looking down. He jumped when he felt something relatively heavy hit him square on. When he looked up, he saw that Toph had collapsed against him, sobbing. He hugged her back, gingerly at first, afraid of being thrown backward, before settling in a bit.

They stood there and held each other, crying, until the tears subsided and Toph pulled back, wiping her face roughly with the back of her hand.

"We should get back, before they send out a search team for us," Toph said, her voice uneven from crying. Before she turned away, Aang reach up and wiped the last of the tears from her face and said, "Let's find those springs and clean up first."

Toph nodded dumbly as he took her hand and led the way to the springs. In a few moments, they were all clean and back outside the camp. Toph felt Aang's heartbeat speed up a bit, and she squeezed his hand comfortingly. When they walked into the camp, everyone was still loading the sleeping bags and tents. It seemed like they had taken their time on purpose, so that Aang and Toph would be able to take their time as well.

When Katara saw the two of them walking in holding hands, she nudged Zuko, who turned to look before nudging Iroh, who continued the chain and got Sokka's attention. Soon everyone was watching them, and both Toph and Aang were blushing and looking at their feet. Then they moved apart, helping to pack everything up.

Katara and Zuko stayed at a fair distance from Aang for the day, not wanting to start any fights or face him just yet. They wanted to get everything they were to say together before confronting him, and Aang also stayed away from them. They had a day off of training, a day for all of them to just relax and fly.

They landed at twilight, and had camp set up and dinner ready in another hour. The good thing was that Katara was not too preoccupied with Zuko to cook, and they ate well. After dinner, Aang and Toph walked away to be alone for a little while, and Katara and Zuko just sat in front of the fire in each other's arms. Sokka acted disgusted and went to bed early, while Iroh was trying to find his lucky pai-sho tile that he had lost again. He found it at some point and went to bed as well.

Katara and Zuko began talking about what they would say to Aang the next day, and separated to their sleeping bags just before Toph and Aang returned.


	5. The Attack

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**A/N: Okay, I've pretty much finished all of my other stories, because I see no way that I could continue them, although now that I think about it, I might turn Broken Hearted into a tiny little Taang thingy, not big though, like one more chapter, but that's if I feel like it. Anyway, I hope everyone who hasn't reviewed likes the story so far. I also hope that people actually read my author's notes… Oh well, not my problem if you don't. So yeah, for anyone who does, I just wanted to tell you all that me and my friends are going to the Renaissance Fair on September 16****th**** probably, so that rocks! It's in New York, so if anyone else is gonna be there, tell me. It's awesome, and you get to dress up and stuff, so it's fun. Now I'm gonna stop rambling and get on with the story. This time no charge though. There's a mark on my forehead from last time…**

It was a week after Aang had gotten together with Toph, and he was now talking to Katara and Zuko again. Sometimes, tensions got strained, but everything was pretty good. That is, until Azula caught up.

The group was sitting around the fire eating and discussing that day's training when there was the fire suddenly exploded, sending all of them flying backwards. As everyone staggered to their feet, a lightening blast erupted from the middle of the smoke, just missing Aang's shoulder. He immediately jumped up to get a better view of what they were facing, while the rest of the group scattered to await his report.

However, he did not need to tell them, because Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai bounded through the smoke on rhinos, followed by around a dozen firebenders on foot.

"Spread out. They're probably hiding in the forest. Try to flush them out," Azula ordered. "And I want them all alive."

As the firebenders started towards the trees where Toph, Aang, Zuko, Iroh, and Katara were hiding, Aang dropped back down behind Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee without making a sound. He then signaled to the group in the trees to come out. As he did so, he let out two of his newly-mastered fire blasts, knocking out Mai and Ty Lee. This gave him away, and gave the group a chance to get out and attack the soldiers.

Zuko and Iroh proceeded to fight the soldiers with fire, while Katara pulled up waves from the river that ran alongside the clearing. Sokka threw his boomerang and took out his sword/club, using it to attack more of the soldiers. Toph pounded the soldiers that were still standing into the ground like she was hammering nails, leaving Aang to fight Azula.

As they circled each other, Azula now on the ground, Azula said, "I see that my traitorous uncle and brother have been helping you learn firebending. Good so far, but you will never be able to beat me, and certainly not my father."

"We'll just see about that," Aang replied, bending a rock wall encircled with fire at Azula, which she promptly dodged.

"You will have to be better than that, Avatar," she called out, sending kicks and punches ablaze with fire his way. Throughout this, the last of the soldiers had been defeated, and Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Toph surrounded Azula. She realized that she would not be able to win, so she decided to make a distraction for them. She shot lightening blasts out all around her, none of them hitting except for one.

As the group was dodging the lightening, Azula jumped astride her rhino, pulling Ty Lee and Mai on with her, only so that they could not wake up and give away her plans to the Avatar. She then rode away, leaving a cloud of dust for the group to choke on in her wake.

As soon as Toph could breathe, she gasped. "Guys, I don't know if you can see yet, but someone's not standing. And their pulse is really slow!" she said in alarm. "Whoever it is is laying down in those bushes to my right."

When the rest of the group could see, they all (with the exception of Toph) shouted, "Katara!" and ran over to the bushes. Sokka was the first to reach them, and he pulled Katara gingerly out of the brush. He felt for her pulse, and confirmed what Toph had said. "Toph was right; her pulse is really faint," he said, his voice shaking. As he carried her over to where the light from the fire was the greatest, he saw that she had a large burn mark on her left side, and her clothes had been burned away there as well. Luckily for all of them, her wrap was still intact; the burn was just underneath it. As soon as Zuko saw the burn, he realized something.

"That burn is the exact same kind as my scar," he stated, his voice barely audible. As Zuko knelt down next to Sokka, Iroh said, "He is right. There is nothing you can do to heal that scar for now. Unless Katara can heal it herself later, it will stay with her forever. I remember caring for Zuko when he had first gotten his scar. Let me take care of her for now."

Sokka reluctantly got up, letting Iroh in to look at Katara's burn. Through the entire night, he and Zuko stood there and watched Iroh clean and bandage the wound. Then, they both sat together next to her, in case she woke up, even Iroh had warned them that this would not happen for another couple of days.

Sokka decided to break the silence between them at around midnight. "So… you really care for her, don't you?" he asked Zuko, causing him to jump. He had been completely zoned out, remembering watching her that first day, when he had sat next to the river.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," was his only response at first. Then he added, "Have you ever had anyone that you cared about greatly, but lost? Family or otherwise?"

This question caused Sokka to wince slightly, before replying, "Yeah. My mom was killed by the Fire Nation, and this girl, Yue, gave up her life to become the Moon Spirit. What about you?"

"Yes. My mother left when I was young. I'm not sure if she is still with us or not. I just hope Katara doesn't become one of them…" he said quietly. As they sat there in silence, watching Katara, they began to realize that however much they hated each other, they were a lot alike. Zuko and Sokka fell asleep next to Katara (Sokka between Zuko and Katara, of course), their minds filled with thoughts of Katara, how much they were alike, and whatever they would do with themselves if Katara did not make it through this.

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The next day was very uneventful. Sokka sat next to Katara for most of the day, until Iroh insisted that he help him find herbs for tea. Zuko trained with Aang (just techniques today), although neither had his mind focused, and they ended up stopping early. Toph filled the rest of Aang's day with both bending and just her presence there. Zuko, after teaching Aang, filled Sokka's place next to Katara. Iroh forced each of the group members to play him in pai-sho, which went pretty fast for some people (coughSOKKAcough) but was very drawn out for others. By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and they all went to bed early, with the hope that Katara would wake up the next day embedded in their minds.

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The day after that went much the same: Iroh and Sokka looking for tea herbs after Sokka had sat next to Katara; Zuko and Toph training with Aang; Toph busying Aang with other things; Zuko sitting next to Katara; pai-sho with Iroh. After an especially long game of pai-sho between Toph and Iroh, everyone walked away, save for Zuko, to do their own thing. This left Zuko to sit by Katara, alone with his thoughts.

Zuko suddenly thought he was seeing things. Had Katara's eye just squinted? He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw her eyes squint again. He immediately went and sat behind her, putting her head in his lap. Soon, Katara opened her eyes and blinked up at him.

"What did I miss?" she asked sleepily. Zuko smiled wanly, glad that Katara was finally awake and seemed fine.

"You were hit in the side by a lightening bolt by Azula," Zuko explained, helping her to sit up. "It's been two days since she attacked. We were afraid you wouldn't wake up," he said, hugging her gently. She hugged him back, but pulled back suddenly.

"Where is everyone?" Katara asked, looking around, worry etched into her face.

Zuko laughed softly, catching her arms before she jumped up to find everyone. "Don't worry. Everyone's still alive, just not here. We've been in the same place as before Azula attacked, because we didn't want to move you. Aang and Toph are out doing something together, they've actually gotten really close. Uncle dragged your brother off to help him find more tea stuff. I stayed here to watch you."

Katara stayed silent for a moment. Then she registered something Zuko had said before. He had said that she was hit by Azula. How bad was it? She pulled her shirt up to see bandages wrapped around her middle, and she felt a bit sore on her left side. As she reached down to undo the bandages, Zuko grabbed her hand.

"Katara, I'm going to warn you, the effects of Azula's lightening bolt are always horrible. You're lucky you weren't killed. The bolt's effects were permanent; Uncle did all he could," Zuko explained. He looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping that she would not get upset when she saw the result of the bolt.

"I need to see," Katara responded calmly. She pulled her hand from Zuko's grasp softly and began undoing her bandages again. She took her time, bracing herself for what she was about to see. When she finally got the bandages off, all Katara could do was stare. The scar that the lightening had left was an exact replica of Zuko's.

Zuko searched Katara's face for any sign of emotion. When she finally looked back up at him, there were no tears in her eyes. She took his hand in hers and placed it on her scar, reaching up her other hand and placing it on his scar. She just looked at him for a moment before saying quietly, "Now we're the same."

They sat there for a few moments, just looking at each other. After what seemed like hours to them, but was really only a few moments, Katara let her hand drop and leaned forward to hug Zuko. Then she got up stiffly, saying, "I should get some new bandages."

Zuko agreed and they walked into the tent where Iroh had put the bandages that he had prepared earlier. After they had put the new bandages on, they stepped outside. Just as they were deciding what to do, Sokka and Iroh came back. Sokka's eyes widened for a moment before he shoved all of what he had in his arms (which wasn't a lot to begin with) in Iroh's arms and ran over to hug Katara tightly.

Katara smiled a bit before patting Sokka on the pack and saying, "Sokka, I kind of need to breathe." He let her go then, smiling broadly. It looked painful to Zuko, but it caused him to smile a bit too.

He actually began laughing, along with Katara and Iroh, when Sokka ran over to Iroh and began shaking him saying, "She's alive! Katara's alive!" This was more a way to reassure himself than anyone else, but just the fact that Katara was alive and well (all except for her scar) was good enough for the rest.

Sokka was just calming down when Aang and Toph walked into the camp. Aang's reaction was much like Sokka's, in that he shoved all of the fruit he was carrying into Toph's fish-laden hands, but then she shoved it back into his, causing him to drop it all. Katara laughed and walked forward to help Aang pick it all up, while Zuko took the fish from Toph and left with his uncle to give the four original friends some time alone.

"So Sugar Queen, looks like you're up and about," Toph commented. Katara and Aang stood up, their arms filled with fruit. Katara walked over to the basket they kept the fruit in, placing her armful in with Aang right behind her. Then they all sat down; Katara next to Sokka, who was holding his head in his hands, and Aang and Toph across from them.

As Katara sat down, Sokka raised his head. Katara saw something there that she thought she would never have to see again. Sokka had tears running down his face. The last time she had seen that, they were in the South Pole, and their mother had just been taken from them. He answered her worried look with, "I thought we were going to lose you. I couldn't take that. Not again."

Katara leaned forward and hugged Sokka roughly, beginning to tear up a bit herself. They sat there like that until Toph cleared her throat loudly, earning her a jab in the side from Aang. The siblings broke apart, locking eyes for a moment before turning back to Aang and Toph.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Katara asked.

"Well, as long as you're feeling okay, we can go ahead and keep moving. Azula will be back on our trail soon, and we want to get out of the way," Aang ventured. Everyone else nodded in agreement, knowing that the consequences could be deadly if Azula found them again.

They talked some more, then decided to stay to the trees and river, meaning walking. Aang sent Appa off to wait outside the next town, telling him to make sure he kept to the trees and clouds as much as possible. Katara went to find Zuko and Iroh to tell them their plan. This resulted in a rather upset Zuko, as he did not want to walk at first, but he was soon 'persuaded' by Katara. Iroh was good with the decision; as Zuko reminded him, he needed more exercise. Toph and Aang prepared dinner, which meant that they were having burnt fish. By the end of the night, they were all argued and tired out.

Zuko and Sokka both insisted on sleeping next to Katara, so she ended up sandwiched between two snoring boys, one who was quieter and one who was beginning to drool on her. ((You can guess who's who.)) Katara finally got tired of this and quietly pulled her sleeping bag over to the other side of the clearing, where she could not hear any snoring.

As she lay there, trying to fall asleep, Katara thought about talking to Sokka and Zuko about how protective they were. Sokka had always been this way, and it was getting on her nerves, but she thought Sokka was starting to rub off on Zuko. That was a bad thing. She would have to talk to them while they walked the next day. As she thought this, Katara finally drifted off to sleep.


	6. Hearts Entwined

**Disclaimer: Next time, I'm just going to put this stupid thing in the summary… or burn it. I think everyone knows by now I don't own anything. Well, mostly anything.**

**A/N: Wow, I just realized that my chapters have been getting longer and longer as I write… and that I set a new personal high for amounts of reviews. Anyway, I might not write as much for a little while, I have two weeks to finish about ¾ of my summer work, so I think that explains itself. If I don't finish it, I can't attend the class. And I want to attend this class. Let's see, I think some reviewer motivation and/or constructive criticism is in desperate need here. If I don't get some soon, I might just put the story on pause until I do (gives evil smile) and I MIGHT just HAPPEN to leave off on a horrible cliff-hanger. Yeah, I like that. (Goes off to plot.) Oh, and after that cliff-hanger I'm going to do a song-verse type thing for Headstrong by Trapt. And yes, I do like that kind of music (meaning Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, Sum 41, Wolfmother, Trapt, Guns 'n' Roses, Nirvana, and all that great stuff) and no, I'm not some kind of emo girl, I just like rock, and I can't stand all that shit that Avril Lavigne is putting out now.**

It was the day after Katara had woken up, and she was the first one awake. Because she had moved her sleeping bag across the clearing, she had gotten the best sleep. She packed her things and was just finishing her breakfast when Iroh, Aang, and Toph woke up. She ended up waiting for Sokka and Zuko to wake up, watching them and trying not to laugh too loudly. This was because, in their sleep, they had not realized that she had moved. They were holding each other, and neither had gotten very good sleep because of their snoring.

At some point, Toph 'accidentally' dropped the pan that they had used for the fish the night before on a rock, making everyone jump and Sokka and Zuko open their eyes sleepily. As soon as Sokka realized that he was holding Zuko, he screamed and jumped up, trying to run away. Then he tripped over his sleeping bag, fell face first on the ground, got out of the sleeping bag, and began running around again. He ran down to the river and jumped in. During all of this, Zuko just sat there with a disgusted look on his face, like he had slept in rhino droppings. Finally he got up and walked over to Katara slowly, who was trying to hold back hysterics.

"Why wasn't I holding you?" Zuko asked dazedly. When Katara collapsed on the ground holding her sides, laughing, he just glowered at her. When she was able to, Katara pulled herself to her feet and said in between gasps for air, "You and Sokka… were snoring so loud… and I couldn't sleep… so I came over here… and I guess you both thought you were holding me!" She then broke into hysterics again, leaving Zuko to get ready alone.

When Sokka came back from the river, Zuko was changing in the tent, so he packed his belongings. When Zuko came out of the tent and Sokka went in, Zuko took the last piece of fruit for his breakfast and ate it while packing. Sokka threw a fit when he found that he was to have no food for breakfast, but soon they were on their way.

While walking, each person had a pack on their back containing belongings. As they walked, they situated themselves so that there would be no fighting. Aang and Toph were in the front; Katara and Zuko were after them; Sokka and Iroh were at the end. Momo had conveniently gone with Appa, so he would not be stealing their food.

The group walked a good distance, stopping on the bank of the river that they had been following the whole day. They built a barrier of leaves and branches around the camp, and set up. Katara put her sleeping bag closest to the river; Toph was to her right, where there was no sand or mud; Zuko was next to her, and had pulled his bag close to the fire pit; Iroh was to his right, also close to the fire; Sokka was next; Aang was last, between Katara and Sokka. They were not actually sleeping yet, more just making claims to where they would sleep later.

After eating dinner, which was jerky that Zuko had conveniently just found at the bottom of his bag, they talked about what they would be doing next.

"Well, it looks like we have two weeks at the most until Sozin's comet arrives, and it will take us just about that long to get to the Fire Nation capital," Zuko was saying. "With everyone looking for Aang, my uncle, and myself, it will be extremely difficult to get there in less than two weeks. I suggest we skirt the villages as much as possible, and only go in if we know that there is little or no hostility. There will also be a full moon on the night before the comet comes, if I am right, so we should try to get in by that night," he said. Everyone nodded in agreement, but as Zuko watched the flickering of the fire, he realized that the movement of the shadows was not the same as the movement of the fire. When he looked over at his uncle, he jumped to his feet.

"Uncle! What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted, tackling Iroh with the help of Aang and Sokka. Iroh had been shooting flares into the night sky with his finger. To Zuko, it looked at first like he had been telling people that the Avatar had been seen heading in the opposite direction. Iroh's head popped up from between the boys' bodies.

"It is alright," he said, his voice sounding strained. As Sokka, Zuko, and Aang got off him, he began to explain. "Those flares will tell anyone who wants to help the Avatar to meet us in the next town. Anyone else who sees them, like your sister, Zuko, will think that an army official or someone like that has seen the Avatar go in the opposite direction," he said. Everyone looked skeptical, and Sokka voiced their doubts.

"How is that even possible? For two people to see something differently, and get different messages from it?" he asked.

"That is all in the technique. Depending on how you do it, a skilled army officer will think that it looks like a message to turn around. I am guessing that is how you first saw it, Zuko?" he asked, looking over a Zuko. When Zuko nodded, he continued, "Well, if you look closely, you will see that that is not what it says at all. Azula will probably take one look at these and turn around, but she may send men this way just in case. I have been sending off these flares since the day Azula attacked us. You do not think that we will be able to get into the Fire Lord's chambers alone, do you?"

The rest of the group noticed that Iroh made a good point, and they soon dispersed to their own sleeping areas. Before Katara went to bed, however, she needed to speak to Zuko and Sokka. She collected both of them and brought them over to her sleeping bag.

"Now, before either of you say anything, I need to talk," she started. "I know that both of you really care for me. That is fine. But you are both also really overprotective. Sokka, you've always been this way, but I think you're starting to rub off on Zuko. That isn't good. I would like some space, from both of you. I am a grown woman now, and I can take care of myself. If both of you, especially Sokka, could back off a bit, I would really appreciate it," she said. After this speech, nothing was said until Sokka said loudly, "No!"

He then continued, "Dad told me to watch out for you, Katara. I can't just 'back off'! I don't want you getting hurt again." He looked to Zuko, as if to back him up, but Zuko had a look of understanding on his face as he looked at Katara.

"You know, Sokka, I think that she is right. We both have been pretty overprotective. And you are definitely rubbing off on me! I don't like that, so I'm going to back off a bit. Not too much, but enough to give Katara room to breathe every once in a while," Zuko said, his eyes never leaving Katara.

"Thank you," she replied, rather astounded. Then she turned to Sokka. He had a look on his face that meant he was thinking; it looked painful. Katara was just thinking that she could see the gears turning in his head when he spoke up.

"Fine. I'll give you some space. But as soon as something happens, which I know it will, I'm going back into 'overprotective big brother' mode," he bargained. Katara nodded, and let him leave. Zuko stayed, however.

"So, you want us to back off? Come with me," he said softly. Then, he stood up and held out his hand. Katara took it, and they walked into the forest together.

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Once they were far enough into the trees, Katara asked suspiciously, "What is this all about?"

Zuko didn't say anything at first; he just kept walking. When they finally stopped, Katara realized something. She had seen this place before. She thought they had passed it from the path. Zuko had wandered off while they had stopped for lunch; is this where he had come? Just before she asked, Zuko turned around.

They were face-to-face when he turned. He wore a smirk on his face, and Katara could tell he was up to something. He leaned down and kissed her before she got out her suspicions. As they kissed, he pulled her down on the ground with him. When they broke apart, Katara was laying on top of him. She blushed and began to scramble off when she felt a bit of a bulge against her leg, but Zuko just pushed her over.

As soon as Katara looked up, she saw why Zuko had brought her there. There was a perfect view of the stars. Then Zuko sat up behind her and pulled her up to lean against him. As she watched, he shot a small spark at a trailing vine on the ground. When this caught fire, it burned all the way into the trees, and she saw that he had arranged the vines in the shape of two hearts. Katara gasped at its beauty. It looked like as the hearts burned they melded together as one. She could also see all of the stars behind them. It was beautiful.

"Now do you want me to back off?" Zuko asked her. Katara did not even need to turn around to know that he was wearing his trademark smirk.

She turned around and kissed him softly, saying, "Not so much. This is beautiful. How did you manage this during that half hour that we stopped for lunch?"

"Some very fast work and not eating," he answered. This caused Katara to laugh softly before turning back around to look at the hearts again. She sighed with contentment. They stayed there for a while, but when Katara noticed that she could see the moon in the break in the trees, she jumped up.

"Zuko! We have to get back! It's almost midnight!" she said, panicking.

"Don't worry," Zuko said calmly. "I told Uncle not to wait up for us, and I'm sure he'll distract Sokka with some tale that will make him fall asleep."

Katara laughed slightly, relaxing a bit. She turned to Zuko and kissed him again, saying, "Thank you again. This was amazing."

Zuko returned the kiss, then said, "We should be getting back. Though I wouldn't mind staying here for the night," he added, smirking once again at Katara. She obviously got his message, for she blushed and looked down at her feet.

They made it back to the camp in record time, and found that Iroh was telling a story to Sokka, Aang, and Toph, and that Sokka was already asleep, even though it looked like the story had just started.

Zuko and Katara walked past the group, trying not to wake Sokka. Iroh smiled at them knowingly, then told the others that he would finish the story another night, giving Zuko a wink that was supposedly ignored.

That night, everyone slept relatively well, and they left early the next morning.

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The group reached the town the next day. It was really just a small farm village, but it seemed very crowded. There were various ostrich-horses and rhinos outside, but the group did not dare enter. They found Appa and Momo resting in some tall trees next to the exit. Aang immediately ran up to Appa and hugged his face, Appa rewarding him with a groan that could only be assumed was happy. Then Appa licked Sokka, causing the hair on one side of his body to stand up straight. Everyone laughed at this until Sokka shouted at them that it wasn't funny, and they all went about their business. They were all still talking about him behind his back, but he never noticed.

That night, it was decided that Katara would go into the village the next morning to collect everyone who had waited there. She looked the most… normal, as long as she wore the spare Earth Kingdom robe that she had picked up on their travels. Everyone went to bed early, so that they would be well rested for the next day. Iroh sent out one last set of sparks, so that all the people who were going to meet them would know to look out for Katara.

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Katara woke up early the next morning, and immediately started preparing. She took her hair out of its usual braid and pulled it up into a neat bun with chop-sticks holding it up. She also put her hair-loops down, making herself less recognizable. She donned the green Earth Kingdom robe, but not before tucking her water pouch inside for safety reasons.

Then Katara started going through everything in her head. Everyone knew that she would be there, and she even had a cover story. She was visiting her aunt, uncle, and sick grandmother in a nearby village. Her grandmother had asked her to come here for some tea that she thought could be found here. Although Katara hoped that no one would ask her about her origins, she even had a story made up for that. She did have Water Tribe blood, and it had been passed down for generations. She happened to be the unlucky one to get the Water Tribe traits this generation.

Katara walked around to find the spot she was supposed to meet everyone, and was able to catch some people who were already looking for her. She sent them back to the village, telling them to find everyone that they knew wanted to help, and bring them back here at twilight. Apparently, most of the village was coming, including some firebenders, so it was being disguised as a mass trade trip. Everyone was coming with carts, but they would leave them in the clearing.

When Katara walked back to the campsite, everyone else was up. They were all quiet, until Sokka got up. He looked like he was going to make a speech, until Zuko pulled him to the side to remind him that they were going to back off from Katara a bit. Then they came back over, and Katara braced herself for a lecture.

"Good luck, Katara," Sokka said, hugging her tightly. She just stood there in shock for a moment before hugging him back.

"Try not to get hurt," Zuko said when Sokka released Katara. He then kissed her quickly, when Sokka wasn't really paying attention, before going back to stand next to the rest of the group with Sokka.

"Well, here I go," Katara said, a bit nervously.

"Don't worry, Sugar Queen. You'll do fine. Just act natural," Toph said, addressing the air above Katara's right shoulder.

Katara smiled, then turned around and began the walk to the village.


	7. Fighting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, I wonder how many times I've said this? I'm going to do a count and put it in the next chapter I write.**

**A/N: Okay, so yeah, thank you to my reviewers! You guys have kept me going, even when I had, like, 500-something hits on the first chapter, then 200-something in the rest. Thanks guys! And I did write a song-verse for the song Headstrong by Trapt, and it is currently saved in my Word documents. I will put it in where it fits, maybe 8****th**** or 9****th**** chapter. Depends when I finish this chapter. Now, I have nothing else to say, so yeah. On with the Zutaraness!**

Katara walked into the village slowly. So far, so good. As she walked, she realized something. There were a lot of Fire Nation citizens here. There were also many people disguised as Earth Kingdom, like she was. Katara could easily pick out the people from the Water Tribes, with their dark skin and blue eyes. She could also spot some Fire Nation people, because of their fair skin and golden eyes. She tried to catch everyone in green robes' eyes, knowing that they would all probably be coming later. There were just too many people here for them to all be from the village.

It was about noon when Katara got to the tea shop (Iroh had asked her to pick up some jasmine tea, and it would help, were she interrogated), for the town was laid out oddly, and she kept going down the wrong alleys.

It was more crowded than Katara had thought when she stepped into the tea shop, but when she finally got to the counter, it did not take her long to get the tea packages and leave. She wandered around the village for a while longer, stopping at a small inn for lunch. It was about a half hour before she was supposed to meet the reinforcements, so she decided to head out.

All of a sudden, Katara was forced to stop. A very large man had just stepped in front of her, blocking her path. As she looked up at him, she realized two three things: one, he was from the Fire Nation; two, he was about a foot and a half taller than her; three, he needed to cut back on the sweets.

"Hello, sir. What can I do for you?" Katara asked politely, trying not to get in trouble.

"What is your business here? You are not from this town," he said, his voice booming.

"I came here to get tea for my grandmother. She is sick, you see, and she requested that I come here to get it for her," Katara recited.

"Where are you from?" he asked her suspiciously. Obviously he had noticed Katara's skin and eye color.

"Well, I live in Ba Sing Se with my mother and father, but I'm helping my aunt and uncle with my grandmother in –"

"No, no, no! I meant what is your heritage," he interrupted.

"Oh, that always comes up," Katara said cheerfully. "My great-great-grandmother on my father's side was from the Water Tribes, although both my mother and father are from the Earth Kingdom. Every generation, someone gets the Water Tribe characteristics, and this time it was me."

The guard grunted, before saying, "And what if I don't believe your story? What if I think you're some kind of waterbending rebel, come here for reinforcements? There are a lot of outsiders here today…."

"Excuse me, but that is enough!" Katara turned around and saw the elderly owner of the tea shop. "This young lady just bought tea from me, jasmine to be precise, and there is a large trade caravan leaving from here tomorrow! You should know that, and I know because I am going with them," he said.

"Well… that is all true, but…" the guard stumbled over his words, before the old man yelled at him again.

"Now, leave this poor girl alone! Go about your business, and I will escort her out," he said, waving his hands at the guard in a shooing manner. The guard did walk away, although he kept an eye on Katara and the old man until they were out the gates.

When they were far enough from the gates of the village, Katara dared a question. "So, you are coming with us then? Are you an earthbender?"

"Yes, to both questions. I am an earthbending master, and despite my appearance, I can be quite intimidating. My name is Hakuto," Hakuto said, offering his hand.

Katara took it, smiling warmly at him before saying, "And I am Katara. I am a waterbending master and the Avatar's waterbending teacher."

They walked in silence until they reached the clearing where everyone was going to meet. No one was there yet, so Hakuto went to get his cart, so that it would actually look like he was going in a trade caravan, while Katara ran to get the rest of the group.

As she walked into the camp, Aang came up to her. "What happened? Did no one come or something? Are you okay?" he asked, for Katara was panting from her run.

"No… Everything's fine. I just ran here from the clearing, because no one is there yet. All of the people are saying that they are part of a major trade caravan, so they plan on leaving their carts in the trees near the clearing. I came to get you guys, because we should all be there. Plus, I want to get changed," Katara smiled slightly, and went off to get into her usual blue robes. She put her hair down, deciding to braid on the way to the clearing. When she came back out, everyone else had already left.

Katara braided her hair, and had her hair-loops in place by the time she got back to the clearing. Hakuto was the only one there yet, and he had hidden his cart with the rest of the group's help.

"So, I see you've all met Hakuto. He helped me to get out of the village, giving support for my alibi," Katara explained, motioning to the elderly earthbender. "Actually, Hakuto, Toph is a master earthbender as well. Maybe the two of you could share tactics or something," she suggested. Toph and Hakuto agreed, and walked off to talk. Aang followed them, hoping to learn something, while Sokka and Iroh went back to the camp for some food.

"Damn, I missed seeing you with your hair down," he said good-naturedly.

"Yes, well, if you want to see that, you'll have to wait. I might show you sometime, but I don't know," Katara replied, smirking. When she saw more wagons and carts coming from a small break in the trees, Katara gave Zuko a quick kiss before going to greet everyone.

Katara helped to direct them to places where they could easily disguise their carts, before leading them back to the clearing. When there were no more carts left coming, Katara led the women off to the camp so that if they needed to change out of disguises, they could in private. The men were doing the same in the clearing.

While the women were gone, Aang took the time to find out how many people there were. He new that Katara had taken about two dozen women, and it seemed like there were around another four dozen men here.

As they changed, he got a chance to see how much of a diversity there was. There were probably two dozen people from the Earth Kingdom; whether they were benders he did not yet know. Maybe a little more than one dozen from the Water Tribes, and the rest were from the Fire Nation.

Katara was doing much the same as the women changed. She figured that there were probably a dozen from the Earth Kingdom, and half a dozen each from the Water Tribes and Fire Nation. They were probably all benders, because other than women benders, women usually did not fight.

After Katara had led the women back to the clearing, which was now very crowded, Sokka, Iroh, Zuko, Katara, and Aang separated the benders from the non-benders. Then they separated the different elements. Toph stood to the side before Katara called her over to head the troop of earthbenders.

It turned out that there were 63 people. Twenty-five were non-benders, and 38 were benders. Katara was heading the group of thirteen waterbenders; Toph was at the head of the eighteen earthbenders; Zuko and Iroh were at the head of the seven firebenders. Sokka was in charge of the twenty-five non-benders, and Aang was overseeing the whole thing.

By this time, it was night, and Sokka was already complaining about dinner. Luckily, all of the people had brought enough food with them for a long journey, so Katara made dinner for their small group in their campsite. They decided to have the women, including Katara and Toph, sleep in the campsite, and the men, including Sokka, Zuko, Aang and Iroh, sleep in the clearing.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

The next day was devoted only to walking. It was actually easier than you would think to have a group of sixty-some people walk through a forest. When they stopped for the night, everyone ate and went directly to bed, the men and women separated again, at Sokka's request.

When everyone woke up the next morning, Zuko, Katara, and Toph got together. They agreed that Aang would only be trained through sparring from then on. So that morning, Katara started sparring with Aang while Zuko and Iroh trained with the other firebenders. Toph, the earthbenders, and the non-benders formed a circle to watch. After Katara and Aang finished, Aang was given a short break before Toph sparred with him and Katara trained with the other waterbenders. This time, Zuko, Iroh, the firebenders, and the non-benders watched. Then everyone was given a break for lunch, during which Katara and Zuko went off to eat alone, as did Aang and Toph.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Aang's come a long way, hasn't he?" Katara asked Zuko as they walked.

"Uh huh," Zuko muttered. Katara decided not to ask about this lack of response until they had stopped walking.

"Zuko?" Katara asked after they had sat down and began eating the fruit they had brought for lunch. He did not answer; he was completely zoned out. Katara got an idea. She reached forward and carefully slipped his banana out of his hand; he still did not notice until he brought his hand up to take a bite and only hit air. He shook his head slightly, as if to clear it, and looked at Katara eating his banana casually.

"Why are you eating my banana?" he asked, a smile coming to his lips. Katara just shrugged before swallowing and saying, "You were zoned out, and I figured this was the only way to get your attention. What's on your mind?" She then gave him back his lunch and finished eating hers.

"Nothing really. I was just thinking about when we face my father," he said in an off-hand tone, as if one would think about that kind of thing just like they would what they were having for dinner. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly broke out with, "What if one of us doesn't make it?" He held his head in his hands for a few seconds before saying, "Almost losing you before was just like losing you for real. I couldn't take that, not for real."

Katara moved over to sit behind him, wrapping her arms around his strong form. As they sat there in silence, Katara thought, _its ironic how someone so strong and blasé on the outside can be so caring and, for lack of a better word, soft on the inside._ Finally, she slipped around Zuko and sat directly in front of him, forcing him to look up at her.

"Zuko, if you keep thinking like that, it will take over your life. You will always live in fear that something will happen, and it will make you a weak and small person. Please, don't think like that. If you do, I probably will start to as well, and we really don't need two depressed, scared bending masters weighing down everyone else. Lighten up a bit. Focus on something else," Katara said, looking deep into his eyes.

As Zuko looked back into hers, he realized that she was right. If they both thought like that, or even just one of them, it could endanger the rest of their friends and family.

"I think I can find _something_ to concentrate on," Zuko said, smiling as he grabbed Katara and pulled her down with him. She laughed as he tickled her sides, trying to imprint the image of her laughing face in his mind. Finally he stopped, letting Katara catch her breath. That was the face that he would remember.

When Katara sat up, her face still alive with laughter, she picked up Zuko's banana and offered it to him. "Banana?" she asked innocently, as if she had never taken it in the first place. Zuko smiled back, mock laughing before snatching his lunch back from her. They finished eating in silence, and then made their way back to the camp.

As Katara and Zuko walked into the clearing, they saw that Aang and Toph were still not back, but that everyone else was just clearing up. Katara realized as she looked through the group of rebels that they were all separated by their race. The Earth Kingdom people were in between those from the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation people were also set apart from the rest, which was more the other nations' decision than theirs. She decided to fix this later, because it was then that Aang and Toph strolled into the clearing.

Zuko walked away to get Aang for sparring, while Toph gathered the earthbenders to train with them. Katara, the waterbenders, and the non-benders all stood around to watch the match. Iroh stood to the side as a sort of referee, like he had done for all of their sparring matches since the beginning.

Zuko and Aang started to bend right away, and the match quickly became heated **((A/N: pardon the pun))**. This was the first time Katara had gotten the chance to watch Zuko fight in a while; she was entranced by how fluidly he moved, just like every time she was when she watched. She guessed that all of their training had paid off. Zuko could feel Katara watching him, and so was trying to look good in front of her. He let out some more complex bursts of fire, driving Aang back a few paces before he tripped over a rock. Zuko thought he had won, but that was before Aang knocked his feet out from under him with a burst of wind from behind. Aang took his chance to get up and pin Zuko down. After a moment someone started to clap, and they continued even after Aang had helped Zuko up and they had bowed to each other, ending the fight. Zuko walked off to bathe, walking right by Katara (with no shirt on) and causing her to stare for a moment, while Aang went off to tell Toph that he had won. As Katara was recovering from her brief glance at Zuko, Sokka came up to her.

"Katara, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" he asked. She nodded her head, and followed him into the trees, out of earshot of everyone else. They were unknowingly going closer to the river where Zuko had disappeared to.

"Katara, I don't like that you keep going off with Zuko all the time. I mean, you're never around, and who knows what happens when it's just the two of you in the woods over here, and I have definitely lost weight after Aang, Iroh, and I have had to cook all the time recently," Sokka said, looking Katara straight in the face. What he hadn't noticed was her increasing rage.

"What do you mean, you've lost weight?! You NEVER lose weight! And plus, I thought you were going to back off! You were supposed to give me and Zuko some space as a couple, and just me alone! But you just couldn't help it, could you? Couldn't live your own life for more than a few minutes," Katara yelled. Sokka had seemed to shrink before her. All the yelling had not gone unheard, however. Though Zuko could not tell what was said, he definitely recognized Katara's voice, and he was curious. Probably Sokka being stupid again, so this could turn out funny. He began to make his way towards the shouting, already finished bathing. When he found the pair, he was astonished.

"… Well, you know what? Why don't I tell you something? I was only with Zuko so that he would stay here and teach Aang. Because you kept bugging him so much, he was ready to leave half the time, and I hooked up with him so that he would stay. Now, give me your opinion on that. What do you think, Sokka? Should I split up with him?" Katara yelled angrily. Luckily for Sokka, he did not need to answer. Zuko stepped out of the bushed, a look much like Aang's face the first time he had seen them together on his face.

"No need," he said quietly. Katara had not noticed his presence until he spoke. Then she whipped around, her braid hitting Sokka in the face as a look of ultimate horror appeared on her face.

"Zuko," she whispered. "Please. I didn't mean any of that," she said, stepping closer to him. He stepped back, however, saying, "Stay away." Then he turned and dashed off into the forest.

"Man, he didn't take that very well," Sokka said, coming up behind Katara. She turned on him, screaming, "You idiot! Look what you've done!" She froze him to a tree before sprinting off after Zuko. She knew where he was going, and she had to get him to come back.

"Hey!" he yelled to her quickly retreating form. "Get me off this tree! It's cold under this ice!"


	8. Headstrong

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the lyrics or music for Headstrong.**

**A/N: This is that song-verse chapter that I said I would be writing. It just came to me the other day, cause I had Headstrong stuck in my head while I was trying to write, and I started thinking, "These lyrics would be really good for a big fight. What if I…" and I got this. This won't be the whole song, maybe. I don't know yet.**

_Circling your, circling your, circling your head  
Contemplating everything you ever said_

_Now I see the truth I got a doubt  
A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out  
I'll see you later  
_

Zuko stalked through the trees, thinking about why he had even offered to help Aang in the first place. Now he knew, they all hated him, none of them actually cared, not even Katara. They were all just using him. So he had walked away.

_I see your fantasy you want to make a reality paved in gold  
See inside, inside of our heads yeah, well now that's over  
I see your motives inside, decisions to hide_

Katara had been using him, pretending that she loved him so he would stay. He knew what they were all about now. It was just too bad that his uncle couldn't see it.

_Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong, we're headstrong_

Katara raced through the trees after Zuko. All the things she had said, none of them were true. She had been saying them to Sokka to make him stop arguing and to make him leave her and Zuko alone. Then Zuko had gone and ruined it by running away. Why did he always have to think he was right?

_  
Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
And this is not where you belong_

_I can't give everything away  
I won't give everything away_

Zuko spun around as Katara caught up with him. "Why are you following me, peasant? I thought I told you to leave me alone," he yelled.

"Because I care about you Zuko! I just said all those things to Sokka to get him off my back! I didn't mean any of them. Please, come back," Katara pleaded.

"No. I don't belong with all of you. I belong in my rightful place on the throne," Zuko said, turning away again. "I already gave up my place once; I'm not doing it again."

_Conclusions manifest  
Your first impressions got to be your very best  
I see you're full of shit and that's alright  
That's how you play I guess you get through every night  
Now that's over_

"Zuko, you always think you know everything, don't you? I was kind to you even though you acted like the spoiled prince that you are when you first came to us. I guess that's just the way you are. Arrogant and self-centered," Katara said, catching up to him again.

_  
I see your fantasy you want to make it a reality paved in gold  
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah  
Well now that's over  
I see your motives inside and your decision to hide_

"All you all want is to use me and my uncle. You don't care for either of us. You think that's going to work. Well, it's not. You're all hiding here when you could be fighting," he told her, continuing walking.

_Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong, we're headstrong  
Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
And this is not where you belong (where you belong)_

_I can't give everything away (This is not where you belong)  
I won't give everything away_

"Of course we care about you! Why do you think I stayed with you all those nights? I could have just walked away, but I didn't. I helped you, and you helped me. That place that you're going to, that's not where you belong. Here is," Katara argued. "If you keep going, they're just going to lock you up. You'll be giving all of the love you have here away."

_I know, I know all about, I know, I know all about,  
I know, I know all about, I know, I know all about,  
your motives inside, and your decision to hide_

Zuko stopped. "I know," he whispered. "But if I go there, I might have a chance to start anew. Here, I will always have to live with my past."

_Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong, we're headstrong  
Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
And this is not where you belong (where you belong)  
This is not where you belong_

"No, you won't!" Katara kept going. "If you go there, they WILL lock you up, and you will never get your seat on the throne. If you come with us, you will be able to help defeat your father, and gain the throne that way, with people looking at you as a leader, not some kind of worm that inched its way into the crown with dirty, underhanded measures," she said boldly.

Zuko turned to her, and she hoped that she had not gone too far. "I know," he said quietly.

_I can't give everything away (This is not where you belong)  
I won't give everything away (This is not where you belong)  
This is not where you belong_

"You really weren't telling the truth, were you?" Zuko asked Katara.

"Of course not!" she said in desperation. "If I said that truthfully, I would be giving away everything that we worked for these past few weeks. I won't give that away. This is not where you belong. Back with us is."

"I know," Zuko whispered yet again. Katara came up and gingerly wrapped her arms around his still shaking form, although she realized that this time he was not shaking from anger, but from sadness, and shame at what he had almost done. They sat down on a rock, and he tried unsuccessfully to hold back tears.

Katara whispered, "Zuko, I will never, EVER lie to you, or leave you. I love you more than anything in the world. Please believe me when I say that I am truly, sincerely sorry, and that those things that I said to Sokka are not and never will be true."

Zuko did not answer her, only held her tighter. After a good hour, they were able to stand up and make their way back to the campsite, stopping by the river to clean up on the way. Sokka spent the night stuck to the tree, while the others all trained with the non-benders.


	9. By the River

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is either the 28****th**** or 29****th**** time that I've said that. Damnit.**

**A/N: So, how did you guys like that song-verse? If you want, go to Google Video and search "Headstrong – Trapt" and it'll come up with the music video, but that's if you want to. Anyway, I hope you all liked the fights and stuff; I was trying to figure out stuff that they should say, and it took me a while. I promise some more mushy stuff for a little while, but the big battle will come soon. There's not much else I can think to put in here between now and then, so it will definitely come quick along with a lot of fluffy crap to fill the space. Then I'll switch some things around and give total control to Zutara! Woot! Oh, and sorry if this took a while to be written, but I've been devoting a lot of time recently to finishing my summer work (it's due in a week) and I've been running out of inspiration. If anyone out there wants to give me some help, it'll be greatly appreciated! And just so you reviewers know, you guys are awesome! I like to know that someone out there likes my story.**

It was the morning after Zuko had tried to run away. He and Katara had decided that since Sokka was stuck to the tree, they would sleep next each other that night. That is, in different sleeping bags and as long as Zuko didn't snore. They pulled their bags to the side of the clearing, separated from everyone else.

When Zuko woke up, at first he thought that his nightmares were coming to life again and that he was holding Sokka, but then he remembered that it was Katara. As his eyes grew accustomed to the early morning light, he took in the sight of Katara's sleeping form next to him. The only thing that he could compare her to was an angel.

Katara awoke next to him, and after a brief moment of confusion to her surroundings, she looked up at Zuko and said sleepily, "Good morning." The end was cut off by a yawn, which ended in a small squeak. Zuko chuckled softly, running his hands through Katara's hair as he kissed her soundly. They stayed in each other's arms for a few moments more, before Katara slowly dragged herself out of the bag. She stretched her arms above her head, yawning again, before offering a hand to help Zuko up. He took it gratefully, hauling himself out of his bag.

Katara rolled her sleeping bag up, folding it into her pack carefully to save room for other items. Zuko, on the other hand, balled his sleeping bag up and tried to shove it unceremoniously into his pack, before Katara sighed in exasperation and folded it for him, placing it in his pack with a smile tugging at her lips.

By this time everyone else was beginning to wake up. The people were still divided by race, Katara realized, and she made a mental note to talk to them about this after they had settled down that night. Today would be a walking day, used solely to make progress towards the Fire Nation capital. When Katara reminded Zuko of this, he groaned in mock complaint.

"Hey Katara," Aang said, walking up behind her as she was eating. "Do you know what happened to Sokka? The last time anyone saw him was when the two of you walked off last night."

Katara stiffened, turning slowly to face Aang. "No, Aang. I don't know where Sokka could be. Why don't you go look for him in the trees over there, and take everyone with you," she suggested. Aang, sensing that this was more of an order than a suggestion, agreed and took everyone into the trees, with the exception of Zuko and Katara. Zuko looked at Katara in confusion, but only got a small smile and a shake of the head in response.

Less than a minute later, a scream was heard from the woods that sounded much like a little girl, and as Zuko jumped up, Katara broke out laughing. He looked at her questioningly again.

"After you saw Sokka and I and left, I froze him to a tree and ran after you. Last I heard him say was that he wanted down because it was cold under the ice!" she chocked out, still laughing. It was then that Zuko realized that no girl had screamed. He also started to laugh, sitting back down next to Katara and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"You are brilliant," he said, squeezing her shoulders gently. Katara's only response to this was to smile softly and lean into Zuko's form. She let out a contented sigh. She was happy until there was a commotion behind her. Katara got up and turned around, only to see Sokka stumbling out of the forest, followed by the rest of their group.

"KATARA! GET OVER HERE!" he shouted, even though she was already striding across the clearing, a smug smirk that could rival Zuko's plastered on her face.

"Yes, Sokka? Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked innocently, as if she hadn't been the one to freeze him to a tree for the night. It was quite apparent after a moment that Sokka was shaking from both anger and cold. Apparently it was cold under the ice.

Sokka seemed to be struggling for words before he stuttered out, "You- You froze me t-to a tr-tree!"

"Yes I did," Katara answered matter-of-factly. "You were being stupid, and saying things that you had no right to say, so I froze you to a tree. Did you learn your lesson, or do you want to be a popsicle again?" Katara asked calmly. All the while, her voice was growing more calm, which most people who knew her knew was not good, while Sokka looked like he was about to explode. He just stared at Katara, his eyes bulging.

Zuko came up behind Katara and put a hand on her shoulder protectively. "You know, Katara, he could always be a flaming popsicle," Zuko suggested, his voice also void of emotion. When Sokka saw Zuko touching Katara, he twitched visibly. Then Aang and Toph came up behind him and, before he could hurt anyone, especially himself, they pushed him away and forced him to lie down under some furs. As soon as he was out of earshot, Katara and Zuko burst out laughing.

They did not speak, just laughed, and Katara turned around to face Zuko. The last traces of laughter were still visible on both of them as Zuko looked into Katara's eyes. Neither of them noticed it happening, but soon they had come together and were kissing each other softly. They broke off at a quiet cough from behind them, and the couple turned to see Iroh watching them with a knowing look on his face.

"Umm… I guess I'll just go then… make sure Sokka's feet aren't frozen off or something…" Katara mumbled, backing away from Zuko and his uncle and almost tripping over a stump in the process. When she had turned away from Zuko, he rounded on his uncle.

"Uncle! Why can't you just mind your own business once in a while?" he asked, his voice hushed.

Iroh only chuckled softly, saying under his breath as he passed the enraged Zuko, "It would not do to give Sokka more reasons to hate you, Prince Zuko." Zuko just stared after him, a confused and frustrated look on his face. He decided to actually take his uncle's advice for once, though, because he did want to stay with Katara. Before he got a chance to talk to Katara again or pick up where they had left off, Sokka was up and moving, causing everyone else to have to run around and gather their things before following him.

Throughout the day Sokka made sure to keep Katara and Zuko apart, giving them both little jobs to do that had them on opposite sides of the group. This caused both Katara and Zuko to become fed up with Sokka very quickly, although they both knew that there was nothing they could do. If either of them said anything, Sokka would throw a fit, and who knew where that would lead.

By the end of the day, when they had all settled down for the night, Zuko was close to killing Sokka. So far, he had been assigned to garbage duty, body guard duty, and crap-picking-up duty. Not his idea of a fun day. Katara had had it easier, with only lifeguard duty and cooking duty, but Sokka was still getting to her. He did not let her and Zuko together, so they had planned to sneak away that night. They had also come up with a way of communicating using bird calls, much like the Freedom Fighters had.

"Umm, excuse me? Everybody?" Katara called. They had just finished dinner, and she had finally gotten up the courage to talk to the rebels about how they were all so segregated. When no one looked up, she called again, "Excuse me!" This got everyone's attention.

"Umm… hi everyone. Uh… I just wanted to… umm… say something to you all. I've noticed that you are all separated into your respective nations. This isn't right," Katara said, her voice gaining strength. "We are the rebellion; we are fighting against the Fire Nation. We should not be paying attention to trivial things such as where we come from or how we look. These are the kind of beliefs that will get us killed if we are fighting. So come on, people! Help me out!" Katara then pointed to an earthbender. "You over there. Yes, you! Go and sit with him," she pointed to a firebender. The two people looked shocked to be picked, but they slowly made their way towards each other.

As Katara continued on, people started to take the hint. By the time she had stepped down, there was not one big mass separated into reds, blues, and greens, but instead a mixed group, with people of all races sitting together. As she walked away, applause started behind her, and grew into thunderous clapping. When Katara looked back, she saw that Zuko had been the cause of this clapping. He wore a proud smile, and she waited for him to catch up before continuing into the trees and down to the river.

"That was some speech," Zuko commented not far into their walk. The couple now held hands as they walked.

"Thank you," Katara answered. "And thanks for the applause." When Zuko looked as if he had no idea what she was talking about, Katara laughed and said, "I know it was you who started the clapping."

Still Zuko held that 'Who, me?' look that Sokka was so famous for. "What are you talking about? Why would you think that _I_ would start that applause? You know, I'm really not sure where you come up with these things, Katara," he said, looking down at her, a smile tugging at his lips.

By now Zuko and Katara had just reached the water. As Katara tugged off her outer clothing, she replied, "I don't know, Zuko. I could really see that cute Fire Nation guy starting that applause. Maybe you're right; you didn't start it. Maybe I should go and thank _him_ instead." By now she was about to wade into the water, but Zuko was still standing on the bank.

"Which Fire Nation guy?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with irrational hatred.

"Zuko, I thought we were working on controlling this temper. And he's just this guy," Katara added, walking back up the bank towards Zuko.

Zuko was getting frustrated. He wanted to know who this guy was _now_ so that he could beat his face in. "Who?! What does he look like?"

"Well, he's got short dark brown hair and warm gold eyes. He's really strong; oh, and handsome too. He's got brains, but sometimes they get lost in his anger. Sometimes it's like they're not even there at all. And he's got this scar that looks just like mine," she said, walking up to Zuko as she spoke. Zuko looked confused for a moment, like he was trying to figure out which of the few Fire Nationers fit the description. Then, something clicked in his head.

As he looked down at Katara, who was now so close to his that they were almost touching, he decided to play along in her little game. "You know, if you really like this guy more than me, I should go and find that Water Tribe girl that was watching me before," he said, his face emotionless.

Katara had an odd look on her face, something between understanding and confusion. "Yeah, I think I saw her before, watching you. You snuck out with her the other night too. Care to remind me what she looks like?" She already knew that Zuko had caught on and was playing along, but she wanted to know what he saw in her.

At first Zuko was confused, before he got what Katara was getting at. "Yeah, she's got long brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She's strong for her size, and she's an amazing waterbender. She's extremely smart; could always outwit me. She's really gorgeous, and she's got a scar on her side like mine. But that could never make a difference in her being," he said before adding, "And she's an amazing kisser."

Katara blushed at this, before saying, "Yeah, my guy's pretty good too." Then Zuko leaned down and kissed Katara. It was short, but meaningful. Then Katara looked up at Zuko once more before turning and jumping into the water. Zuko seemed a bit surprised by this, but took it in stride, removing his outer clothes and jumping in as well. The water, he found, was not cold, but not warm either. He had just come up for air when he suddenly felt himself being pushed under again.

Katara had been waiting in the shadows of the water, and when Zuko came up, she jumped, forcing him under the water by throwing all her weight on his shoulders. Before she could right herself, however, Zuko had grabbed her around the waist and stood up, holding her over his shoulder.

"You should know by now not to do that," he said, and Katara could hear the smile in his voice.

"Maybe I do it on purpose?" she suggested. He laughed, before changing his grip on her and throwing her into the water. When Katara came back up, she was laughing. As laughter is contagious, Zuko soon started as well. He swam over to where Katara was sitting in the shallow water of the opposite bank, acting like some kind of predator by swimming with just his eyes above the water. This caused her to laugh even harder.

When he finally reached her, Zuko crawled over her and, just when he looked like he was going to lean in to kiss her, he shook his hair all over her face. She made an odd noise of protest, shielding her face with her arms before bending the water out of her own hair. She then brought it up above Zuko and dumped it on his head. This caused him to get wet all over again, but he did not shake the water out again. He looked down at Katara, in whose eyes there was still a hint of mischief. This was banished when Zuko leaned down to kiss her, their eyes sliding closed.

Katara's arms came up to tangle in Zuko's hair, and she used this to pull him closer. As they kissed, they slowly moved up and onto the bank. Katara's hands roamed from Zuko's hair, to his strong shoulders, down to his chest, where they stayed. His had moved from their places at her sides, up her arms to her shoulders, then back down her sides. They rested at her hips for a moment before going back up her stomach.

As his hands came up near her breasts, Katara's hands immediately shot to his and moved them back down to her hips. When Zuko looked at her questioningly, she whispered, "Zuko, we can't go that far. Remember, your uncle stood up for us and made us promise that we would only do what we thought was appropriate. Until the war is over, we can't. I mean, I'd love to, but we just can't."

Zuko groaned, resting his forehead against hers. It was getting harder and harder for him to resist, but if Katara wanted to wait, then they would wait. Katara smiled up at Zuko in understanding, and kissed him once more before sliding out from under him.

Katara swam back to the other bank and put her clothes back on. By the time Zuko had gotten to her, she had also bended the water out of her hair and fixed it, so that nothing out of the ordinary could be suspected. Zuko put his clothes on as well, and they walked back to the camp together.


	10. Truth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you all liked the last chapter, but I'm warning you: it's going to take me a while to write new chapters with school starting. And my inspiration's getting low, so that never helps. Yeah, this is going to go really fast (from now to the big battle, I mean), so I hope I'm not leaving more to be desired from my chapters. I try to write when I can, but it's not easy. Anyway, on a lighter note, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO! Okay not really, but I felt that needed to be said. Yeah, so I've just started high school, so the pressure's definitely on, but I hope to write a lot anyway and get a lot of responses from my reviewers. Now I can call you guys dedicated without being sarcastic! Cool! And I did get the game Truth in here from a book I'm reading, **_**The Truth About Forever**_** by Sarah Dessen. Oh, and I just think that this needs to be said: **_**Twilight**__**New Moon**_**, and **_**Eclipse**_** are amazing!!!**

It was three days until the group of rebels were scheduled to arrive at the Fire Nation capital; two days since Katara and Zuko's swimming session in the river. In the time that they had been traveling with their reinforcements, 27 more people had been recruited. They now had over 100 well-trained benders and non-benders ready and willing to fight anything to help the Avatar.

They had been walking all day, and after Sokka had had a few 'accidents' involving flaming leaves or icicles almost falling on his head, he agreed to let Katara and Zuko walk together. They were now hand-in-hand at the back of the group, walking quietly. Both were thinking about the days to come, and what would happen if both of them survived the battle.

Katara's thoughts were as follows: _Things have gotten so tense around here, although I'm sure it would be much worse if everyone were still like enemies. Zuko's been pretty quiet recently too. I guess we all have. It will probably stay this way until after. And Aang agreed that we should just keep walking for the next few days instead of stopping like we have been recently. We'll get there the night before the comet comes to start the fight. We won't be able to get these people there by the Day of the Black Sun, that'll come right before. But hopefully the rebels living in hiding will break out that day. After that, who knows what will happen. If both Zuko and I are alive, then we'll definitely tie the knot. There's not much else for us to do now, we've gotten so close. Then… well, we'll see where that takes us._

While she was thinking this, her hand tightened around Zuko's, causing him to jump. He had been thinking as well, and his thoughts were along the same line: _Everything has gotten so tough around here. People are straying back to their original groups, and the walking has taken its toll. Just ask my legs. Katara's been very secluded too. We spend as much time together as her idiot brother will allow, but she stays away from everyone else. Well, at least we might get a day of rest before the attack. And luckily Azula's been staying away. Hopefully, once this whole thing's over, Katara and I can get away from the group and finally finish things up. I hope she hasn't seen what I've been working on all these nights; that would be a waste. Once we win the war, which we have to do, Azula will be done with as well as my father, so I'll take the throne as Fire Lord, and if Katara accepts, which I know she will, she'll be my queen. Finally!_

At this point his thoughts were interrupted by Katara squeezing his hand, causing him to jump. This brought him back to reality, and he smiled reassuringly down at her, squeezing her hand in response.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

It was right after dinner, and Katara and Zuko were trying to find a way to pass the time when they were walking.

"I still say we could sneak away for some privacy!" Zuko said for about the tenth time. Both he and Katara knew what was meant by this, and how much it would aggravate Sokka if he found out.

"I know, that would be great, but we can't! What if Azula or someone found us, and we were too far away for anyone else to know? We should try some kind of game," Katara suggested. She had put up this same argument every time Zuko suggested sneaking away, but they still could not pick a game to play. So far they had suggested 'I Spy', 'Last Letter, First Letter', and about six other traveling games. Then it hit Katara.

"What about 'Truth'?" she asked. 'Truth' had been one of her favorite games as a young girl, but every time she had made Sokka play he had cheated, so it could get very competitive.

"What's 'Truth'?" Zuko asked suspiciously. He already did not like where this was going.

"Well, it's this game where one person asks the other a question, and you can only answer the truth. No lying, so it can get pretty dirty. Sokka and I used to play all the time, but he would cheat, so there are a lot of rules that were thought up as we played, but the one main one is that you have to tell the truth," she explained. "The only way to win is if one person won't answer a question. Then the other person has to answer one, and if they do they win."

Zuko rolled his eyes, saying, "That's it? That's so boring. And easy."

"Well, why don't we try it now, just to see?" Katara suggested. By now they were walking in the woods surrounding the current camp.

"Fine. You go first," Zuko conceded. All Katara could think was that he did not know what he was getting himself into.

"Alright, hold on," Katara said, thinking. "What's your favorite color?"

"Okay, come on. I'm sure it's supposed to be harder than that," Zuko protested.

"Fine," Katara sighed, thinking again. "How about… What was going through your mind when you first sat down and watched me by the river?" she asked slowly.

Zuko was taken aback by this question, but recovered quickly. He answered slowly, as if weighing each word before speaking. "I guess it was just that I should have decided to come and help long ago, and then I was thinking of ways to get you to stop trying to kill me with your glares."

Katara laughed softly, remembering how much she had loather Zuko that first day. Then it was his turn.

"Alright then, let's see… How did you know, when I first came to assist Aang, that I was not going to just lure Azula here or attack while you slept?"

"Well, it was probably that I had always believed that you would come around some day. After that day in the crystal caverns, I knew that we were more alike than I had imagined, and that deep down, there was good in you," Katara answered solidly. Zuko just stared at her before finally shaking his head as if to clear it, and motioning for Katara to go on.

The game progressed like this for the next two days, the questions getting more and more personal each time. Soon they involved topics like Katara and Zuko's mothers, what they had been thinking about that day in the crystal caverns, and even possible children's names. They played while they walked, while they ate, and all the time in between. It was all they did, and though they could tell that it was making Sokka even angrier, they continued.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

On the day of the battle, Katara woke early and went down to the river to relax. She had been restless all night, and hoped that the sound of her element would help her to calm down. She was very surprised when she encountered Zuko, sitting on a low tree branch and staring out over the water. He did not notice her until she touched his shoulder lightly.

"Hey. You couldn't sleep either?" Katara asked softly. Zuko shook his head as he helped Katara up to sit in front of him on the branch. They sat like that in the tree until they could hear the sounds of the rest of the camp beginning to awaken.

"Come on; we'd better get back," Katara said, starting to get down. But as she went to turn, Zuko caught her and kissed her. They held each other for a long moment before breaking apart abruptly; Sokka's snoring had stopped. As the couple walked together back towards the camp, Zuko thought about what he had spent the night doing thanks to his insomnia. As he smiled, his hand tightened around Katara's. She looked up at him, and immediately got suspicious.

"What?" Zuko asked innocently, after seeing her trying to read his face.

"Just wondering why you looked so accomplished, like you just finished something that you'd been working on for weeks," Katara answered. Zuko never answered, for they had just walked into camp and Sokka was on them already.

"Where were you? What were you doing? Do I need to separate the two of you?" Sokka scolded them. All they could do was stand there and let Sokka blow off some steam before Katara stepped in the calm her brother.

"Sokka, it's okay. Neither of us could sleep, so we went to the river to relax. Nothing happened, don't worry, everything's okay," she soothed, and soon Sokka stalked off to mutter under his breath as he packed up his sleeping bag.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Katara and Zuko burst out laughing. "We have to do that more often," Zuko choked out before being consumed by more hysterics. When they could breathe again, Katara and Zuko split up and collected their belongings, getting ready to have their final meeting with the reinforcements before the attack began.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

It is time.

The war is starting.

I hope I get to see her again.

I never got to say goodbye.

As the group marched forward, these were the thoughts that went through many people's heads. Aang had given the most moving speech that any of them had ever heard, and they now had complete trust in him. Each of the original party, that being Iroh, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and Toph, were put in charge of different sections of benders/non-benders; Aang was the head of the entire operation. Even Suki was able to meet them before they started.

Everyone was given a few moments together before the invasion began. Aang and Toph walked off into the trees, while Sokka and Suki went in another direction. Katara and Zuko walked back to the river, farther downstream than they had been earlier. As they sat together, Zuko gathered his thoughts.

"Katara… I, umm…" he started, not sure what to say or do. Katara sensed his unease and wrapped her arms around him, gazing up at him comfortingly.

"What is it? You know we're going to be fine today, we can all take care of ourselves," she said calmly. Finally Zuko got up his courage and pulled out of her embrace gently. Katara looked at him confusedly until he got down on one knee; by this time her expression had changed to one of shock and utter happiness.

"Zuko, I," Katara started, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Katara, I've loved you ever since I first joined this group and watched you by the river. I want to be with you forever, even if that will only be until the end of today. And I know how corny all of this must sound, but it's true. I love you, Katara. Will you marry me?" Zuko finished with a flourish, pulling out a beautiful hand-carved necklace. While he had been talking, Katara had been fighting back tears, and now she let them spill over as she fell to her knees and hugged him tightly.

"Yes! Oh, yes!" she cried happily. Zuko sighed in relief, then fixed the necklace for Katara. As she pulled away to look, she gasped. The necklace was a blue stone flecked with red, and carved into it was the symbol for fire being circled by the symbol for water.

"You are my life, Katara; my world," Zuko whispered.

Katara looked up and managed to say, "It's beautiful," before she and Zuko were kissing each other softly. After a few moments, they broke apart, and Zuko wiped the remaining tears off of Katara's face.

"We should be getting back," he said softly. As they got up and walked hand-in-hand back to the group, Katara tucked the necklace into her robes.

"For safety purposes; we don't need Sokka going crazy now, we can wait until after," she explained in response to Zuko's confused look. He chuckled softly, kissing the top of her head.

Then they walked into the camp, bracing themselves for the biggest fight of their lives.


	11. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Disclaimer: Not sure this even needs to be here, considering all this is is an author's note…**

**A/N: Okay, this is all this chapter is going to be, so actually read the author's note for once (this only directed at those who don't usually read it, those who do should read it anyway though). Okay, as you all know, the big fight scene is coming up, and I can't write fight scenes very well. I either get carried away with something and forget the fight all together, or I don't put enough in and it looks completely horrible. So, although it pains me to say this, I need help. If anyone is a good fight-scene type writer, I would really appreciate your help! Just PM me if you want to be a good person and help, PLEASE!!! I was considering trying to write it and seeing how it turned out, and I probably will still do that, but it would be great if I had some other writing that I could use to improve what I end up with (which will so much improvement it's not even funny). But thanks for your reviews guys, I really appreciate those too! It's good you like the whole engagement and hiding from Sokka thing, I was hoping you would!**


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